May 6, 2005

World Media Watch

by Gloria R. Lalumia

BuzzFlash Note: WMW provides BuzzFlash readers foreign views and perspectives that are not usually available from the media here in the U.S. The presentation of these articles from these international publications is not an endorsement of their viewpoints.

* * *

WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR MAY 6, 2005

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--SAUDI LEADER TO PROD SYRIA TO HELP REGIONAL STABILITY (Saudi Arabia's crown prince will use his upcoming visit to Syria to ask President Bashar Assad to cooperate in stabilizing the region and not meddle in Lebanon, after having urged U.S. President George W. Bush to ease pressure on Damascus, aides said Thursday. Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz is due to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday before going to Damascus. A court official in Amman said Thursday the Saudi prince would also visit the Jordanian capital for a few hours Saturday for talks with King Abdullah II on "the situation in the region and peace prospects in the Middle East." … According to the Saudi sources, Bush and Abdullah agreed during their talks at the U.S. leader's Texas ranch on April 25 that Assad "should be given a chance to introduce political and security reforms at home and to formulate a policy of non-intervention in Lebanon, especially by Syrian security services." Abdullah urged Bush to cooperate with, rather than put pressure on, Damascus, the sources said.)

2//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea--U.S. TENTATIVELY NAMES HARDLINER AS N.K. RIGHTS POINT MAN (Officials connected with the North Korean human rights movement said Thursday the U.S. has tentatively decided to name former White House domestic policy advisor and noted neocon Jay Lefkowitz as special envoy for human rights in North Korea. … The U.S. had put off naming an envoy for the last six months to avoid provoking North Korea, but analysts believe the naming of a neoconservative at this juncture shows Washington is no longer prepared to tread softly now that tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program are approaching crisis level.)

3//The Japan Times, Japan--JAPAN TO PULL TROOPS FROM IRAQ BY DEC. 14 (The government has begun preparing to withdraw the Self-Defense Forces from Iraq and its vicinity in December when their noncombat mission expires, government sources said Wednesday. Japan plans to notify the Diet and countries concerned as early as September after assessing the situation in Iraq. It will then switch mostly to official development assistance to help the battered country, the sources said.)

4//The Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates--BULGARIAN MPs APPROVE END-YEAR IRAQ WITHDRAWAL (Bulgaria’s parliament approved a government plan on Thursday to cut troop numbers in Iraq by next month and withdraw the country’s 450-strong unit completely by the end of the year. Trailing in opinion polls ahead of summer general elections, ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg’s government is under heavy pressure to bring the soldiers home from the deeply unpopular war. Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov played down the significance of the decision to withdraw, saying the Balkan country would try to find other ways to take part in the US-led military operations.)

5//The Toronto Star, Canada--LIBERALS SAY THEY WILL IGNORE TORY MOTION (The Conservatives won a battle today in their effort to force a non-confidence vote against the Liberal minority government but they could yet lose the war. Minutes after the Tories won the right to proceed with an amendment later this month calling on the government to resign, the Liberals said they will simply ignore the call. By tradition, the government must step down if it loses a vote on a money bill, such as the federal budget, but it’s not clear if the Tory amendment falls under that category.)

* * *

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Friday, May 06, 2005
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition...

SAUDI LEADER TO PROD SYRIA TO HELP REGIONAL STABILITY
Strategy to be backed by U.S. assurances that it will ease pressure on Damascus

By Agence France Presse (AFP)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's crown prince will use his upcoming visit to Syria to ask President Bashar Assad to cooperate in stabilizing the region and not meddle in Lebanon, after having urged U.S. President George W. Bush to ease pressure on Damascus, aides said Thursday.

Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz is due to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday before going to Damascus.

A court official in Amman said Thursday the Saudi prince would also visit the Jordanian capital for a few hours Saturday for talks with King Abdullah II on "the situation in the region and peace prospects in the Middle East."

The aides traveling with Abdullah, who is on a private visit to Morocco after trips to France and the United States, said he would "encourage Assad to put into practice his stated intentions to carry out internal reforms and cooperate at the regional level."

This would include cooperation with the UN probe into the February 14 murder of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri, the aides said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

According to the Saudi sources, Bush and Abdullah agreed during their talks at the U.S. leader's Texas ranch on April 25 that Assad "should be given a chance to introduce political and security reforms at home and to formulate a policy of non-intervention in Lebanon, especially by Syrian security services." Abdullah urged Bush to cooperate with, rather than put pressure on, Damascus, the sources said.

They said Abdullah came away from his talks with Bush with the conviction that Arab assistance in efforts to stabilize Iraq would prompt the U.S. administration to exert greater efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abdullah will "not just brief Assad on the U.S. stand toward Syria but also put forward proposals that would help ease Washington's pressures on Damascus and set the stage for better relations," the sources said.

(MORE)

2//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea Updated May.5,2005 21:10 KST
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/...

U.S. TENTATIVELY NAMES HARDLINER AS N.K. RIGHTS POINT MAN

Officials connected with the North Korean human rights movement said Thursday the U.S. has tentatively decided to name former White House domestic policy advisor and noted neocon Jay Lefkowitz as special envoy for human rights in North Korea.

The special envoy will be tasked with making and execution of U.S. policy concerning North Korean human rights in an ambassador-level position created when the North Korean Human Rights Act went into effect in October.

The U.S. had put off naming an envoy for the last six months to avoid provoking North Korea, but analysts believe the naming of a neoconservative at this juncture shows Washington is no longer prepared to tread softly now that tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program are approaching crisis level.

(MORE)

3//The Japan Times, Japan Thursday, May 5, 2005
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle...

JAPAN TO PULL TROOPS FROM IRAQ BY DEC. 14

The government has begun preparing to withdraw the Self-Defense Forces from Iraq and its vicinity in December when their noncombat mission expires, government sources said Wednesday.

Japan plans to notify the Diet and countries concerned as early as September after assessing the situation in Iraq. It will then switch mostly to official development assistance to help the battered country, the sources said.

The move is being timed to coincide with the launch of a legitimate Iraqi government and the end of the U.N.-sanctioned deployment of multinational forces there at the end of the year, they said.

Among countries participating in the multinational effort, Italy has indicated it plans a gradual pullout, while Poland has said it will withdraw completely in early 2006.

Japan will likely have to announce its plans by September if it decides to withdraw by the end of the year, because preparation and implementation is estimated to take about three months, the sources said.

In December, Japan extended the SDF's deployment to Iraq and surrounding countries based on a special law allowing it to assist with reconstruction until Dec. 14 this year.

(MORE)

4//The Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates 5 May 2005
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile...

BULGARIAN MPs APPROVE END-YEAR IRAQ WITHDRAWAL

SOFIA - Bulgaria’s parliament approved a government plan on Thursday to cut troop numbers in Iraq by next month and withdraw the country’s 450-strong unit completely by the end of the year.

Trailing in opinion polls ahead of summer general elections, ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg’s government is under heavy pressure to bring the soldiers home from the deeply unpopular war.

Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov played down the significance of the decision to withdraw, saying the Balkan country would try to find other ways to take part in the US-led military operations.

“We are clearly stating that we are not pulling out of the coalition of the willing, but will continue to watch the situation and find a way to participate,” Svinarov told the chamber ahead of the vote.

Out of 208 deputies present, 110 voted to reduce Bulgaria’s light infantry battalion by 50 men by the end of June and withdraw the unit when a United Nations Security Council mandate expires on Dec. 31.

(SNIP)

Bulgaria, which joined NATO last year, has lost nine soldiers in Iraq -- eight in combat -- and five civilians. Some 75 percent of the Balkan state’s population disagree with Bulgaria’s military presence in the Arab state.

5//The Toronto Star, Canada May 5, 2005. 05:13 PM
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Content...

LIBERALS SAY THEY WILL IGNORE TORY MOTION
Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The Conservatives won a battle today in their effort to force a non-confidence vote against the Liberal minority government but they could yet lose the war.

Minutes after the Tories won the right to proceed with an amendment later this month calling on the government to resign, the Liberals said they will simply ignore the call.

By tradition, the government must step down if it loses a vote on a money bill, such as the federal budget, but it’s not clear if the Tory amendment falls under that category.

The Speaker of the House of Commons ruled today that the amendment, to a finance committee bill, was in order. That appeared to clear the way for a vote on the matter in about two weeks.

The Tories hold that if they win the vote, it requires the government to resign and call an election.
Not so fast, said government House leader Tony Valeri. He said the Liberals will refuse to recognize the amendment as a confidence motion and will keep governing.

Tory House leader Jay Hill maintained that the vote is a confidence matter but didn’t say what he would do if the government refuses to step down.

Earlier today, Speaker Peter Milliken ruled that a surprise Tory amendment to a public accounts committee bill was out of order. That amendment also called on the government to resign.

Also today, Prime Minister Paul Martin denied again that he ever interfered in any sponsorship contracts.

(MORE)